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Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Battersea Power Station

A coal fired power station that operated between 1939 and 1983 (or thereabouts). You can't help but notice it especially if you travel on the eurostar. I have had it on my list to 'check-out' and take a few pictures of. I read that there were tours, so thought yesterday was a good day to finally cross that one of my list. A friend and I set out on a cold blustery day (hadn't factored that in to the plan), only to be told once we arrived that we couldn't get in. The tours have finished for the time being. So this is the best I can offer at present. You can also read the latest proposals for the station here. Although I am told this is just the latest version of plans that don't make it past this stage. However I did see a few small posters on power poles in the area saying there were going to be music festivals in the grounds from December 2008 to March 2009.

On my last visit to London a stood on the opposite bank of the river for a long time trying to get a decent photo of this wonderful building. I say that as an environmentalist who is opposed to burning coal for power. I absolutely love this style of architecture.

MO, it was Bankside power station that was converted to the Tate Modern was it not?

"You can't help but notice it especially if you travel on the eurostar."

Only if you have an x-ray telescope! The Eurostar switched to St Pancras last year so goes nowhere near Battersea now. You do still see it on domestic trains from Waterloo though, or better still on ones from Victoria to south east London and Kent which pass right next to it.

I was lucky to visit on the final of the developer consultation/tour days in the summer. It was such a sad sight to see the state the building in in these days. Although I still have not converted any of my photos from that trip yet.